CARITAS ATHENS CLOSE TO MANDRA’S FLOOD VICTIMS

Last Tuesday, November 28 a group of Caritas Athens members provided comfort to those afflicted by the devastating floods at Mandra, Attica that left behind 23 people dead, while 1,800 families and businesses have seen their fortunes dispersed. Fr. Ioannis Patsis, Caritas Hellas Vice-Chairman and Caritas Athens Vice-Chairman and Director was head of the group and was accompanied by Ms. Efi Zaloni, responsible for the Organization’s Head Offices and Mr. Issidoros Roussos, Caritas Hellas Communication Officer.

The delegation monitored the area in collaboration with local authorities, visited the town’s neighborhoods, where the situation is despairing, registered the immediate needs and discussed the steps to follow.

More specifically, they met with Ms. Gianna Kriekouki, Mayor of Mandra-Eidyllia, Mr. Periklis Rokas, Vice-Mayor, as well as afflicted residents to give them super market coupons, while they offered the Social Grocery cans of food and blankets.

Finally, local authorities also explored the possibility for the Organization to offer psycho-social support to flood victims throughout a second phase, given that the Municipality is not able to offer it, to be deployed as soon as a series of key issues are resolved: receive the necessary documents to grant indemnities for households and businesses, clean the houses and finalize recording of accommodation needs to pay for the temporary accommodation of the victims.

It should be noted that, the Catholic Church via Caritas Hellas and funding from CRS (Catholic Relief Services) of the U.S.A., acted at the very moment the tragedy broke out providing two excavators, thus contributing to the efforts of removing tons of debris and mud from the streets, the sidewalks and the house yards, as well as two trucks carrying them to an area indicated by the Municipality. As a matter of fact, this machinery unearthed the last missing person of the catastrophe, on Monday, November 27.

Furthermore, over 7,000 bottles of mineral water and 1,500 sandwiches were provided, while the needs of flood victims via on-going visits and in collaboration with local authorities are constantly recorded, in view of the next moves.

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